1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image data processing system, and more particularly to a system for processing image data via a transmission path such as a network.
2. Related Background Art
In a conventional image data editing process, image data is generally stored in a local area of an editing apparatus to be processed. For example, in the image editing process by a personal computer (PC), image data stored in a hard disk of PC is generally processed.
Similar image processing is performed not only by a general apparatus such as PC but also by an image photographing apparatus such as a digital camera, a digital video camera and the like. For example, when image editing is performed with a digital camera having an image editing function, image data stored in a recording medium of the digital camera is processed.
As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-51241, image data is uploaded to a server on a network to manage it, while the image data is not managed in a local recording area.
It is very serious to edit moving images with an apparatus having a relatively low processing ability such as a digital camera. Therefore, the image editing by the digital camera is limited to a simple process so that it is difficult to realize complicated image editing from the viewpoint of performance and cost.
As described in the above-cited Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-51241, if photographed image data uploaded to the server is managed and when the image data at the server is required to be edited, it is necessary to download the image data once into a local recording area before editing it. The downloaded image data is thereafter edited, and it is therefore necessary to upload the edited image data back to the server. Even if the image data at the server is required only to be looked at, it is basically necessary to download an image file.
Moving image data in particular cannot be reproduced until it is completely downloaded.
An image recording system has been proposed recently in which a wireless network function is added to a digital camera and photographed image data is automatically transmitted to the server without storing it in the digital camera.
In such a system, since image data is not left stored on a recording medium of the digital camera, it is very difficult to edit image data by using the digital camera.